A few days ago, I was talking with a fishing mate about Maslow's hierarchy of needs, in respect of how good it feels, when you have a successful fishing day, and how it's different from when you get home from buying fish.
My mate said that during the industrial revolution, some people were arguing that agricultural life was phychologically healthier (the term was "mental hygiene" in those days), because one doesn't experience the benefit of securing/fulfilling one's needs, unless one is physiologically involved in their acquisition. He noted that urban men will typically engage in physical activity/competition to simulate the activity of hunting, and that urban women will typically engage in browsing through racks of clothes and shelves of items, to simulate the activity of foraging/gathering.
I thought it was an interesting idea; that simulating hunter-gatherer activities might be necessary for phychological well-being, if we evolved to be hunter-gatherers. Perfectly content housecats suddenly become "more alive" the moment they go outside, and can stalk birds in the bushes... Perhaps people become more alive, when they're busting their ass to get food and shelter.
On the flip side, opulence and wealth, with no personal involvement in attaining the basic needs seems to drive people crazy over time. Non warrior kings in feudal times would descend into surrounding themselves with jesters, gluttony, debauchery, and petty quarrels. Modern urban people do similar things, consuming entertainment media obsessively, pornography/promiscuity, junk food, and conflict-politics.
Anyhow, I thought my fishing day conversation topic was worth sharing.
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